The shrub-steppe system that dominates the WLCI region separates the northern and southern Rocky Mountains; thus, forested areas in the WLCI region are limited. In the Green River Basin of southwest Wyoming, riparian and aspen woodlands comprise only a small fraction of the landscape, but many agencies perceive them as priority habitats because they make important contributions to landscape connectivity and biodiversity at local, regional, and geographic scales. Not only do aspen communities support a unique and diverse suite of species in the WLCI region, they provide important forage and cover for ungulates, help maintain headwater stream function, and they may serve as stepping stones for migratory forest birds traversing the semi-arid WLCI region.
A primary goal of the WLCI effort is to restore aspen to ensure the sustainability of fish and wildlife in southwestern Wyoming. To that end, WLCI partners need information on the effectiveness of aspen-restoration treatments (for example, thinning and burning) for promoting desirable stand structure, but little is known about how stand structure affects the ways in which most wildlife species use aspen stands. Without this crucial information, WLCI partner efforts to identify and prioritize aspen stands for restoration and conservation are hampered. This work activity assesses how landscape and forest structure affects use of aspen stands as stopover sites by migratory birds in southwest Wyoming. In 2010, fall migrants were surveyed through point counts and mist-netting during August and September. Associated landscape attributes will be quantified from existing GIS layers. This information will be used to develop spatially explicit, multi-scale wildlife habitat models for priority species.
Products Completed in FY2011
Products Completed in FY2010
- Dataset of species observed using aspen and riparian stands in the Green River Basin, including abundance and migratory status.
